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mariacallous · 2 months ago

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During the first half of the 1980s, in the early days of the HIV pandemic, one ethnic group in the United States faced particularly inhumane and biased treatment. Haitian immigrants, unfairly blamed as the originators or leading propagators of the virus, were lumped into the “Four Hs” of people said to be at a high risk for AIDS: “homosexuals, heroin users, hemophiliacs, and Haitians.” To help contain the virus, the prominent right-wing commentator William F. Buckley argued in a 1986 article in the New York Times that people with AIDS should be tattooed to keep the public safe from contact with them.

In a horrifying throwback to that era, the notion of Haitians representing a public health threat has been revived in the current U.S. presidential campaign season. Most prominently, during last week’s debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, former President Donald Trump repeated a baseless claim that Haitian immigrants in the small city of Springfield, Ohio, are eating other people’s household pets. It’s bad enough that Trump and his running mate, J.D. Vance, have made these vile and unfounded claims. But Vance, the junior senator from Ohio, has also warned that Haitians are spreading HIV.

(Asterisks, footnotes, and even parentheses are usually ill-suited to column writing, but one must wonder whether Trump and Vance are aware of the irony of raising animal abuse claims when one of their most important surrogates, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has acknowledged that he dumped a dead bear cub in New York’s Central Park years ago; one of Kennedy’s daughters has also said that he once severed a whale head and brought it home.)

After nearly a week of discussion and uproar about the groundless statements about Haitians eating pets, Vance finally admitted on Sunday what people familiar with the facts suspected all along: He had “created” the claims against the Haitian community of Springfield outright to focus national attention on what the Republican Party sees as one of its most potent election issues, immigration.

One question that arises from this incident is why Haitians have been so frequently used as scapegoats for national problems and vehicles for scaremongering in the United States. As it turns out, anti-Haitian discrimination is a topic rich in history.

My first encounter with this was in the early 1990s, when I lived in Miami as a bureau chief for the New York Times covering the Caribbean and parts of Latin America. At a time of political instability, widespread violence, and the specter of famine in Haiti, the Clinton administration severely restricted Haitians’ ability to enter the United States as refugees or beneficiaries of political asylum. As coverage in one Florida newspaper summarized at the time, “Haitians picked up at sea will not be allowed into the United States, period.”

In that period, the U.S. Coast Guard intercepted desperate Haitians en route to the United States and took them to the U.S. base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba and to other Caribbean Basin countries, where they sheltered in rudimentary camps awaiting processing and return to Haiti. Even those who wished to press claims of legitimate fear of persecution, a common benchmark for asylum, had to do so back in Haiti.

Living in Florida, what stood out to me as much as the restrictive spirit of these rules was how sharply the treatment of Haitians contrasted with that of a neighboring Caribbean people: Cubans, who fled their country for economic and political reasons the previous decade in the so-called Mariel Boatlift, a much larger exodus by sea. In 1984, four years after the arrival of many thousands of Cubans, Washington granted these refugees permanent legal status. (Between 1994 and 1996, however, the Clinton administration held around 30,000 intercepted Cubans at Guantanamo, breaking temporarily with a long-standing U.S. policy of receiving Cuban migrants with relatively open arms.)

Washington initially denied equal treatment to a smaller population of Haitians who also arrived in 1980, as it insisted they were ordinary economic refugees, not people facing political persecution. Only after pressure from human rights groups were Haitians allowed to apply for permanent residency under the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986.

Americans have seldom paused to ponder what drives attitudes toward Haitians that are frequently at odds with those toward immigrants of other nearby nations. If his goal had been simply to stir up anti-immigration sentiment to boost the Republican ticket, Vance could have targeted people from a country that has contributed far more to illegal immigration lately—say, Venezuela or China. It is not as if Trump has not slandered other groups with unfounded claims. Indeed, he launched his first presidential campaign in 2015 with wild rhetoric about Mexico deliberately sending rapists to the United States.

A panel discussion on CNN last week may have captured some of the current Trump-Vance logic. One of the participants asked another why Trump had chosen Haitians—and not, say, Scandinavians—for his obnoxious tall tale. The other panelist, a conservative strategist, refused to speculate, leading the person who asked the question to answer it herself, attributing the decision to racism. Unlike Cubans, for example, who predominantly identify as white, around 95 percent of Haitians are Black.

Many popular attitudes toward race and immigration can be traced back to something called the Teutonic germ theory, a popular 19th-century interpretation that, despite its name, had nothing to do with microbes. As the historian Greg Grandin has written, this theory “held that what was good and strong about American institutions germinated in Europe, in ancient Saxon and Teutonic villages filled with freemen not yet subordinated to feudal lords.” Put simply, thoughts like this lie behind very old and uninspected ideas that still often associate “real” Americanism and hard work and virtue with Anglo-Saxonism.

For xenophobes and demagogic politicians such as Trump and Vance, who wish to whip up anti-immigrant sentiment for political gain, Haitians have come to represent a convenient and dramatic contrast to the proverbial Anglo-Saxon: Haitians, for reasons of their blackness, are an ideal “other.”

One other thing that most Americans don’t realize is how deep hostility and antagonism toward Haiti and Haitians run in U.S. history. Press coverage of Haiti routinely highlights its status as the “poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.” What reporters usually fail to state would be more helpful to understanding the country’s relationship with Washington: Haiti, after the United States, is the second-oldest republic in the hemisphere.

In the 1700s, French traders brought people in chains from Africa to Saint-Domingue, as Haiti was known at the time, to grow sugar and other lucrative commodities. The colony became a principal source of wealth for France, and experts say the production of enslaved human beings made Haiti the richest colony in the history of the world. Then, in 1791, one of the greatest events in modern history occurred. As I wrote in my book, Born in Blackness: Africa, Africans, and the Making of the Modern World, 1471 to the Second World War, people brought from Africa revolted against their enslavement, and by turns defeated the great empires of the age—France, Spain, Britain, and then France again—to win their liberty.

In 1804, when France’s former chattel proclaimed the birth of Haiti, they did so with a constitution that outlawed slavery, a gigantic step in human enlightenment that preceded abolition in both Britain and the United States. What is more, the people of this newborn nation outlawed discrimination on the basis of race altogether, a revolutionary achievement that was still being fought for in the United States in my lifetime.

The Western response to Haitian liberation was a shameful one. France imposed onerous and long-lasting indemnities on Haiti for the supposed injury caused to it by the outbreak of human freedom. Meanwhile, Europe and the United States conspired to isolate Haiti diplomatically and economically. Washington’s preoccupation with Haiti was particularly dishonorable. Members of the Virginia planter class that predominated in U.S. politics worried that the example of Haitians could incite Black people in the American South to demand—and potentially fight for—their own liberation. They believed that stories about Haiti’s success should not be allowed to spread.

U.S. policy has long been tolerant to the idea of immigration from European countries, but much less so toward people from the so-called third world. Because of this bias, upheld in education and entertainment that normalizes European society and culture, popular opinion seems to ask, what do those other peoples have to do with us? In the case of Haiti, the answer is much more than many think. Reaching Trump and Vance with this message may be hopeless, but it is not too late for Americans to understand that they are not alone as the standard-bearers of freedom in their neighborhood, and that they haven’t always been on the right side. Haitians, too, have been pioneers of liberty, not only for themselves, but showing the way to others. It is time for us to treat them with respect and dignity.

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stari-hun · 2 months ago

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Limbus Maxxing

My live rambles on limbus company as I play (I like Mili so imma play for them).

Prologue rambles under the cut

TRUCK KUN?!

Ok Kaalaa Baunaa ass

Oh great so our name is Dante and we just made a pact with some unknown entities who are vaguely ominous and homosexual

Faust: Wassup dawg ur now leader of the squad

MC: what squad??? WHO ARE YOU???

Faust: Not the people killing you

OH GOD WHY DOES THE BATTLE MECHANIC LOOK SO SCARY-

Oh god I’m not understanding shit. Can’t wait to overlevel and just be op

Panther: 0 stars on Yelp, shit theatre kid performance, will not be going back

Ah yes a clock with a time gimmick very unexpected much wow very woah

The CG art is so cool, fully how it’s different than the sprites

MC is fr deciding trust purely off vibe checking people

MC: why is everyone calling me Dante?

Faust: It’s your name

MC: Nuh uh

Faust, ignoring MC: You’ll get used to it

Gregor: ay Buddy just to start off with, I’m not judging with anyone’s representation and what they decide to do with their head yk? Your body ur choice

Mmm delicious immoral actions and expectations from a higher organization in control the group is forced to rely on. I eat it up every time. Constantine would thrive in this world

Ishmael: All of your introductions are disappointing as hell. You do know this is us introducing ourselves to a superior right? We’re working right now.

Also Ishmael: I’m Ishmael

LIKE LMAOO????? All that and she also gives an informal introduction. Also the similarities in the way the intro cards treat Sinners and how Arcanists are treated in hit game Reverse 1999

Heathcliff: Yeah I don’t care about trying to please you or fitting in (proceeds to give one of the only proper self introductions)

HELLOOOO???? If he gets angry we contact HR lmaoooo

Ok Tsukasa move it on

Ah yes, the token autistic member, I see you Hong Lu

Ignoring that lady-

Ah another autistic, this time one with an unfortunate but definitely gendered name. Love me a character who just wants to do their job then clock out

Oh ew Dante is French /silly

MC: wow Meursault you’re really one of the polite people here :)

Meursault: This is the normal reaction for this situation

MC: :)

MC’s thoughts: Something’s deeply wrong with him.

Outis going on this long chuunibiyou like rant to MC while they have no clue what’s going on still

Outis: I vow to serve you with unrivaled devotion, Executive Manager. My blade is yours to wield.

MC: here I thought you’d be one of the normal ones….

MC: I mean I want my head back but eh….. eH

Vergilius: smh, I tell you to go to hell and you hesitate? Smh.

Imagine losing ur head and memories and non-binary company takes you, dies, gets revived, and tells you to literally go to hell

Faust: Ur strategy game is clearly shit so let me tell you how to improve

Vergilius: enough useless chatter

No???? Knowing how to revive people is actually incredibly useful?? I need to know how to be doing that

WE HAVE A FUCKING SANITY BAR??? NOOOOOOOOOOO

Oh god the designated driver is a speed demon-

Yeah Kagamine Rin, speak ur truth

Vergilius is such an antiyapper. Get bro some noise cancelling headphones with the way he hates background dialogue

Charon: Damn. A missed chance to run someone over.

AYYYYYYY MILI SONGGG WRAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Oh damn it really is a bus and not a train- though to be fair it is like the outer look of a train just compressed into one car

#honeystar #yapping #limbus company #complete shitpost of no value

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meadowtwins · 4 months ago

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Information sheet about Dionysus 🍇:

When being interested in deity worship it is important to do the regarding research about, well, everything. Not every source is tells you all the Information you need to gather. There's always gonna be a few questions you may have left unanswered so I'll try to mash it all up together in one post as a (hopefully) trustworthy source! The Information gathered below me, beside the basics is mostly based on all the questions I used to have that were left unanswered for a LONG while. (Long Post ahead)

Dionysus (Di-on-y-sus) also called Bacchus, is a member of the twelve greek Olympians. He is roughly classified as God of wine, fertility, vegetation, reincarnation, parties and festivites, comedy and tragedy plays, madness and wilderness. Bacchus is the Roman given name, depraved from the frenzy and madness he induced, called Baccheia. Additionally the Romans called him Liber Pater, meaning free father.

Family: His Father was Zeus, his Mother the mortal Semele (who was also classified as the Goddess of Bacchic frenzy), no full blooded siblings, his Wife was Ariadne

Myth: Simply told, Zeus and Semele were lovers. Hera, Wife of Zeus and Goddess of lawful marriages, women and family and marital harmony, felt jealousy and persuaded a pregnant Semele to ask Zeus if he would show her his true self. Now this part gets told each way, he agrees and his godly divinity burns her to death, or her consistant asking made him so angry that he let thunder rain onto her, resulting into her death. Either way, after her Death, Zeus feels compassion for the yet unborn child, cuts it out off Semeles body to sew it into his thigh until it can rightfully be born. The next part gets told differently. After his birth, Hera was so enranged that he was alive that she ordered the Titans to kill him. After they have ripped him apart, Rhea allegedly revived him again and Zeus ordered him to be brought up by the Nymphs. His attribute of the reincarnation steems from this myth. Differently it gets told like this: When he was born, out of protection, he was given to a foster parent. Now this again is different in each myth. Sometimes he was entrusted to Hermes, other times Seilenos, even after that he was given to Semeles sister and her husband. Eventually Hera found out about his location and drove the couple into madness, letting them murder each other. After this he wandered the world in search of his purpose. During his travels he learned of vine, wine-making, etc. He arrived in Greece then Thebes long time after trying to establish a reign. Marking his name as God of Epiphany (The god who comes). The, mostly winemaking skills, he has learned abroad impressed the people. But the ones in power, such as his cousin Perseus, denied his worship and disbelieved his divinity. Soon he has gotten his own cult under the influence of ecstasy and madness. Mostly the woman of Thebes have taken a liking to his influence, they were called Maenads. Everyone who was against his reign and the madness he spread were destroyed (by his Thyrsus in the Myths). His influence became wide spread, marking his title as the God of madness and frenzy.

Cultural context: Knowingly, he was worshipped in Naxos, Boiotia and Edonia. There he was seen as a God of Orphic Mysteries, A God of the Eleusinian Mysteries or God of the vegetable Gardens.

Attributes: Grape-vine, Ivy crown, Thyrsus, Parties and Festivites, Wilderness and Vegetation and Comedy and Tragedy Plays

Sacred things: Thyrsus, grape-vine, Ivy, Cinnamon, Silver Fir, Bindweed, Wheat, Barley, Leopard, Cheetah, Tiger, Goat, Donkey, Lion, Serpent, Wild bull, Apples, Figs, Berries, Acting, Wine, Drunkeness and Pleasure, Festivites, Ecstasy, Reincarnation, Predatory big cats, Homosexuality, the Colors Red, Purple, Gold and the Card of the Devil/Hanged Man

His Worship: Broadly his cult was called Bacchic, the followers Bacchantes. Some called it Dionysian Mysteries. He was called Dionysus Eleutherius, the liberator, as his wine, the madness and ecstasy free his followers from their monotone life and subvert their fear into something powerful. Those who believed in him were at first ridiculed until they realized what the consequences of being against his reign entailed. The first of his followers were the women, who were called Maenads. In their madness they tore wild animals apart, wearing their fur as devotion and even their family, believing them to be leopards/panthers of that sort. These Maenads additionally wore Ivy crowns as to honor Dionysus' attributes. Under his influence people were believed to be possessed by his godly powers, letting them gain unhuman strength. Followers of him included spirits of fertility, such as Satyrs.

Festivities: Dionysia (lesser Dionysia) was one of the oldest festivals in dedication to Dionysus. It was said to celebrate to cultivation of vine. Timewise it was celebrated around modern December/January. It was centered on a procession, followed by drama performances. City Dionysia (greater Dionysia) was a festival held three month after lesser Dionysia, modern March/April. This festival was more elaborate and carried more worthy offerings such as wooden statue of Dionysus. The followed drama performances were performed by more noteworthy playwrights. Anthesteria celebrated the beginning of spring. It span across three days, with each day regarding a tradition in honor of Dionysus.

Offering Ideas (traditional and modern): Alcohol (specifically Red wine), Bottles, Corks, Cider, Honeyed Milk, Water, weed or any type of hallucenigens, Drugs, Grape (Grape flavored things), ticket to the Theatre, Costumes/Masks, Pinecones, Fennel, any Wildflower, Figs, Ivy, Honey, Bones, imagery of his sacred animals, preserved Animals, fur cloth, Wheat, Barley, Olive Oil, Musk, Bread, Grape-Vine, Fruit, anything regarding Homosexuality or Effeminaty, Cinnamon, Silver Fir, Apples, storax, thistle, Black diamonds, frankincense, Golden jewerly, Amethyst/Tigereye, concert tickets, any imagery of his attributes, devotional acts of listening to music, singing, going drinking/partying, learning about his attributes, braiding hair, letting your hair grow out, making devotional art/hymns/prayers, wear his colors, sexual acts (only if you're comfortable with that), confidence in yourself, in ancient greece Maenads made blood offerings due to his connection with the dead (see: the myth of him going to the underworld to save his Mother Semele) but be REALLY careful if actually doing that

How to pray/offer to Dionysus: When praying to a Chthonic God you would have your head and hands down with your hair open. The Prayer can be anything. There is an actual structure of a hellenic prayer (invocation, argument, request) but during modern times it isn't necessary. Be respectful and thank him. Traditionally his offerings were burned but again, no necessity. Be sure to have some sort of protection during an offer/a prayer. "Euoi" was a passion cry from Bacchic worshippers that is still used today. You could use it in a prayer!

This is all the main information I've gathered so far. When coming to connect with gods its important to know what they represent and what they're known for.

Happy Witching!

Additional links to check out if you want to learn more about his myths or his connection to his attributes:

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sydneyofalltrades · 6 months ago

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okay bc @toooliix can’t let me have peace, y’all get the complete comprehensive dream roles list

(yes this was an old draft FUCK OFF)

trust me this is very long so if you don’t wanna see it just skip it 😭

1. jane doe/penny lamb from ride the cyclone

reasons why i want to play this character:

she’s ghostly and silly and deep

her song is fucking AMAZING

i wanna be a scary baby girliepop doll head

could i play her?: i can sing tbojd effortlessly and i’m a pretty decent actor. i may be poc but what’s that to a doll’s head

what’s stopping me?: i’m a teenager with absolutely no community theater doing this show

2. ricky potts from ride the cyclone

reasons why i want to play this character:

HE IS LITERALLY GENDER?? LOOK AT HIM

singing space age bachelor man every night would definitely heal some gender dysphoria i have

he’s a scrunkly goober who wears a super sparkly costume

i am genuinely an irl ricky (without the disability)

could i play him?: i can sing space age bachelor man and i’m masculine enough?

what’s stopping me?: afab and not physically disabled (i’m neurodivergent but no physical disability and i would never want to mischaracterize him)

3. noel gruber from ride the cyclone:

reasons why i want to play this character:

he is. my favorite.

he and i are lost souls

gender?? like hello??

could i play him?: i can sing his song and act his part. but i have very little confidence in my gender fluidity

what’s stopping me?: lack of confidence. and also afab

4. veronica sawyer from heathers the musical:

reasons why i want to play this character:

my dream role since i first got into musicals

she makes me feel confident in my own horrible love life and bad decisions

she’s a badass. point blank

could i play her?: DEFINITELY! gimme a day to learn the script and two hours for choreo and i will be ronnie sawyer

what’s stopping me?: lack of practice, money, and genuine resources

5. jason dean from heathers the musical

OKAY HEAR ME OUT

reasons why i want to play this character:

gay gay homosexual gay

genderbent jd means toxic yuri which is always appreciated

a sapphic meant to be yours would genuinely break me so why not be the one to do it?

could i play him?: even with being genderbent, i think i could give it a shot! his insane spiral might be challenging to play out but i love challenges!

what’s stopping me?: afab, lack of genderblind productions, broke as a bitch

6. whizzer brown from falsettos (specifically the 2016 revival)

reasons why i want to play this character:

HIS CONFIDENCE?? makes me skyrocket honestly

andrew rannells. that’s it

honestly would be interested in taking a gender blind take on him

could i play him?: with a binder, proper choreo, and a decent haircut sure! i surprisingly fit in the range and he’s been a dream role forever! i would do the show in the original script because his story is best told the way he is

what’s stopping me?: afab. also not jewish and couldn’t think of mischaracterizing

7. super swing from six the musical

reasons why i want to play this character:

any role in six has been a dream since i was 13! so why not dream bigger and want to cover ALL SIX!

since every queen is so diverse, i wanna have the chance to express myself in them all because honestly that would be phenomenal

in case i must reassure you, i actually can sing. and six the musical is my favorite to sing on occasion so i’m prepared

could i play this role?: in a couple years with a little experience under my belt maybe! super swings are becoming less and less of a need in theater so i’m not sure but one can hope

what’s stopping me?: too young, no super swings in the US

8. christine canigula from be more chill

reasons why i want to play this character:

christine is just like me! a neurodivergent theater lover!

she’s a ball of energy and a ray of sunshine, who wouldn’t want to play her?

i actually see myself in christine, and she’s an independent and kind and funny character i’d like to reshape

could i play her?: um? YES! no script needed, i can just jump right into it without delay, it would be fun and i have her memorized to a t

what’s stopping me?: no experience or opportunities

9. the s.q.u.i.p. from be more chill

another hear me out, y’all

reasons why i want to play this character:

gender. that’s it. it’s so gender

the pitiful children has been my favorite song from bmc the moment i first listened to it, if i could perform it once, it would be a dream

i’m an oldest sibling, i can boss people around without remorse

could i play it?: ALSO YES? lemme learn the five sentences of japanese and i will jump right in without fail. i actually have several of my own thoughts about performing as the s.q.u.i.p.

what’s stopping me?: afab (it looks like keanu reeves and i.. don’t), no experience, probably would be too excited

10. eurydice from hadestown

reasons why i want to play this character:

she’s my comfort character and her songs are so solemn and beautiful

always a pleasure being a leading lady, and having a mainly poc take on a character is always amazing

eurydice is such a complex character and i’d love to portray that

could i play her?: i’m really confident in my abilities! i sang a cover of flowers you can check out here, and it’s always fun getting to sing her lines in my room.

what’s stopping me?: well. money. and lack of experience

and that’s pretty much all of them! so there you have it!

#this would’ve been so much easier as a tiktok😭#ride the cyclone #heathers the musical #falsettos #six the musical #be more chill #hadestown #syds dream roles!! :)

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gerardway-is-my-babygirl · 10 months ago

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Okay I have to know: your top 3 mcr songs for Dracfield and why 🙏

AGHHH THIS IS SUCH A GOOD QUESTION I love combining my hyperfixations so much!!

This post Is long(as all of my Dracfield posts are) so I'm putting It under the cut

Obviously House of Wolves Is a Renfield coded song. It definitely fits him during the early days of him being a familiar, he's severely Infatuated with Dracula and willing to do anything for him, while still acknowledging that hes an awful person for doing so

"tell me I'm a bad man, kick me like a stray", hes aware of what hes doing but hes starting to accept It, though he still knows he deserves punishments for It. Also dogboy Renfield

In my mind It's a song that would play while hes on a killing spree, embracing that hes a sinner and knowing that hes going to Hell. I think hes always suffered with catholic guilt because of his queerness and MCR are literally the kings of catholic guilt and homosexuality so the song Is about him sinning by killing people and by being gay

For the 2nd song I'd have to say It's Not a Fashion Statement, It's a Deathwish because It's about being revived and Immortality. I think Dracula has had to revive Renfield dozens of times over the years and now Ren has turned Into an almost Immortal being. It's literally like In the actual story for Three Cheers, because the devil keeps bringing the Demolition Man back to life over and over again just so he can kill people. (Renny and the Demolition Man are very similar, at least to me) Also I think at the last verse Is kind of like him singing to Dracula about how one day they'll be dead together, since he still has some hope that Dracula can die

Also "from the razor to the rosary, we could lose ourselves and paint these walls in pitchfork red" Is such a perfect lyric for them. Murderous husbands

3rd song Is Famous Last Words, It fits Renfield post-Dracula so well. He's finally free and able to live his life again, he's no longer afraid of being alive. Although Renfield still loves Dracula, he Isn't scared of being alone because he has discovered he can find new purposes In life and he no longer needs Dracula to make him feel complete.

"A love that's so demanding, I get so weak, a love that's so demanding, I can't speak" Its literally him and Dracula! His love for his Master has turned him Into a weak-willed and obedient servant, rather than an equal lover. He Is devoted to Dracula, while Dracula could let him go and not feel even the tiniest bit of guilt or regret (at least In Renfield's eyes). He literally can't speak because he's spent all of his life In Dracula's shadow, always quiet and unable to express his own thoughts, forced to listen to and obey Dracula's demands.

He's no longer the quiet, obedient follower that he was molded Into, he Is free from hiding In the shadows and fearing every moment he's alive. Now he has the power and bravery to keep on living.

#that was. a lot #thank you so much for this ask I love these two things so damn much #I could have spoken so much more about why they fit dracfield but we'd be here for years #also I think renfield's favourite album would be TBP #or danger days.. Idk I just get that vibe from him #I will never stop Infodumping about mcr and renfield #the brainrot Is so powerful #dracfield #dracula #renfield #renfield 2023 #mcr

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countxartista · 1 year ago

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trying to single-handedly revive da vinci's demons fandom has been going on for quite a while for me, so da-vinci-posting here is long overdue. thought i'd start with leo, because this is what hooked me on the show in the first place.

Leonardo da Vinci has no shame.

s01e06 madness in the dungeon, or rather an irritation so big that leo decided to become his most insufferable self, did not come from fear of his sexuality being discovered and analyzed. it came just because by assigning him a label, people tried to censor his free expression. the small-minded dared to call his chase for truth madness once again. in other words, that little shit couldn't do what he wanted anymore and oh, everyone's gonna answer for it.

it could just be ascribed to his ego, and that's what people around him call it. selfish leonardo who rebels against the world order like every other man his age. but leonardo doesn't rebel. he just finds this whole ordeal so ridiculous it irks him. curiosity leads to truth, and truth - how things work, what's their origin and purpose - puts his mind at ease. why should it be punished?

freedom of dwelling into things and (most importantly) into his own mind. that's what society is trying to force on him. and screw the fact that most people decide to leave things alone out of fear (because it's so much easier to call everything God's misterious ways). his mind is the only thing he will not allow to imprison.

to have a freedom of thought is to be different than most and yet unrestrained. it's fighting back the society that denies simple preference. your thoughts are yours, even if you believe somebody up there knows them all. you should be allowed to have them.

to this day this is the most inspiring take on homosexuality i've ever seen in media.

#da vincis demons #da vincis demons leonardo #leonardo da vinci #da vincis demons s01e06 #some silly thoughts #kinda inspired by da vinci's biography im reading

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soaringsoulsandsisters · 2 years ago

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Sasha Regan's All-Male H.M.S. Pinafore

A year ago, I went to Wilton's Music Hall in London to watch what would turn out to be my favorite Gilbert & Sullivan production ever, and in fact, my favorite show out of every production I attended during my semester abroad. I want to share my thoughts about this production with the rest of G&S Tumblr (however many of us there are!)

Gaily tripping, lightly skipping....

This production is a revival; Sasha Regan’s all-male company has done Pinafore several times before. (They’ve also done The Pirates of Penzance, The Mikado, and Iolanthe.) Not knowing anything going in, I was worried that the men playing female roles would end up being presented as the butt of the joke, as is often the case with “man in a dress” humor. But it was earnestly and lovingly directed. It was certainly campy sometimes but it felt less like a parody and more like an honest celebration of homosexual joy, humor, and love.

When I was a lad...

I had also assumed that the music for the female roles would be transposed down, but I was wrong again: the men playing women actually sang up in their high ranges. Not a single note of the score or line of dialogue was altered. In fact, the men in the company who played the “sisters, cousins, and aunts” also played the sailors in some numbers. They even switched back and forth in one scene: they began “Over the bright blue sea…” singing sweetly in their high ranges, and then suddenly leapt down some octaves for “Sir Joseph’s barge is seen…” Gender fluidity was easily achieved through changes in costume elements, body language, and mannerisms. One got the impression of a company of sailors with time to spare using what they had on board to entertain themselves.

Sorry her lot, who loves too well...

Sam Kipling, the actor playing Josephine, had an amazingly stable high range, hitting the B at the end of Nevermind the why and wherefore with no problem. He carried himself gracefully and demurely, but his powerful voice and commanding presence were more than a match for his Ralph (played by Danny Becker).

And excellent peppermint drops...

Another standout cast member was Scotty Armstrong, who played Little Buttercup. He was the first “reveal” of the show — the first transformation from masculine to feminine; when he jumped up to his falsetto, he welcomed the audience into this play AND let them know what they were in for. Out of all of the cast members, at all three of the show dates I attended, it was Scotty who earned the most laughs. And he sold Buttercup’s eleventh-hour plot twist that ushers in the happy ending.

Seeing this genderfluidity and homosexuality in an operatic setting — especially one as hetero/cisnormative as that of the works of Gilbert and Sullivan — meant the world to me. The joy and playfulness of this production lasted long after the final note sounded, and the songs played over and over again in my heart for weeks to follow. What a welcome departure from tradition!

#gilbert and sullivan #hms pinafore #g&s #h.m.s. pinafore #sasha regan

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drcalvin · 2 years ago

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tag meme

Rules: tag 9 some people you want to know better and/or catch up with, then answer the questions below!

Last song: "Vode An" - Star Wars Republic Commando video game originally, but for me? YouTube.

Three ships: well uh at the moment I'm very 👀 about Obi-Wan Kenobi/Commander Cody (yes, yes I watched my first Star Wars movie when I was probably six and saw The Phantom Menace first week in the cinema and THIS is what I end up shipping? Idk either).

Then I spent quite some time shaking AO3 until I'd read all the John Sheppard/Rodney McKay that looked like it appealed to me... And a fair bit of the minimally tagged one too, because lots of old imported fic. It's a good fandom if you want space adventure with slash, although I suspect watching canon might disappoint in certain ways. But A+ plotting, SGA authors.

Uh and then there are some evergreens. Zoro Luffy Pirate Husbands 5ever... But hey, Kirk/Spock! Had a bit of a revival for me. Which reminds me I need to show a friend The Undiscovered Country, we've been going through the classic K/S moments

Currently reading: Bad Gays: A Homosexual History by Huw Lemmey &Ben Miller. I almost finished then forgot it in a tote bag but now I found it again. Very entertaining non-fiction about "the complicated, the evil, the ill-reputed and the bad" gays through history. What the book adds to the podcast (well, it also removed their frequently shite sound quality issues, it's terrible in the early eps) is their critique of the white cis male-male thing that goes into the concept of homosexuality and gayness currently, and how this was built up historically. Which really nuances some of their person portrait choices well, but also, it's just a good read.

Last movie: Solo - yes, the Star Wars movie. But earlier this week I watched Twilight 3, lol, which was terrrrible but not as bad as Twilight 1 or 2. It's okay, I had friends and we got mildly drunk

Craving: Fresh baked bread

Do I have nine people on Tumblr to tag after my long "eaten by the black hole of irl" uh.... @carmarthenfan @stephantom @janeeyreofmanderley @minipliny @itsyveinthesky @kira-under-pressure @m-madeleine calling the old crowd, all very voluntary and only if you think it sounds fun I guess/awkward wave/

#Tag meme #Ahaha sob I fail at friendships I'm sorry

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tc-doherty · 4 months ago

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Author Questionnaire

tagged by @the-letterbox-archives again, thanks :3

How long have you had your writing tumblr/writeblr? a fast and loose estimate is fine!

I started it January 1st, 2022.

What led you to create it?

My original writing blog was a side blog. I wanted to revive it but I also really wanted to be able to interact with things as a separate entity from my main blog, so I remade it here. I don't know precisely when my old side blog was made since I've deleted it, but probably 2015 or so.

What’s your favourite thing about the writeblr community?

I just love being surrounded by creative people, it's fun to always see somebody talking about something they're working on!

What’s one thing you’d like your mutuals to know about you?

If you don't know already, I love to talk. People can message me or reblog or comment on literally anything. I love to talk shop, I love to answer questions, I love to help people brainstorm, I love to talk about pretty much anything with people.

Is there anything you’d like to see more of on your dash?

I could always stand to see more positive jokes and memes and less negative ones, but otherwise it's pretty good.

Which wips or writing projects are you noodling about, lately?

Ones that I'm actively working on publishing or will soon be publishing: Dragon's Daughter, Celestials, Second Chances Ones that I am currently writing or planning about in an intentional way: Untitled 3, Northbound, Miracles, Magic Black as Knight

How long have you been working on them?

Second Chances is the oldest of those overall, which goes back to 2007 or 2008, at least. (only Silverwood is older since it goes back to around 2003) The Ghost was originally written in November of 2013 Dragon's Daughter was originally written in December of 2015 Northbound shows November of 2018, but it was based on something that I had written earlier and I don't know the exact date. I would be willing to bet 2016 though. Different parts of it come from different places so some of the characters go back to circa 2005, 2007, and 2008. Miracles is from August of 2019. Magic Black as Knight is from April 2022. Untitled 3 I finished writing this month although the initial idea is from 2019

Do you remember what inspired them/what got you started?

In order of the above: lots of mixed sources, a dream, my roommate telling me I should do it, a dream+old RPs, thinking the vibes would be fun, a dream, a completely mediocre anime that I watched

How much time, in your best estimation, do you spend thinking about them?

Anytime I'm not actively focused on something else, I'm thinking about a story. It might not be one of those listed about, but it is a story of mine. So, quite a bit.

When someone asks the dreaded, “what do you write about,” question, what do you usually say?

Hot take, I do not hate it when people ask me what I write about. I actually like that. Depending on my mood I might jokingly say something like homosexuality or magic and friendship. If I'm more serious I'll say that I write about figuring yourself out and finding the place you belong. Or if they're asking about something specific I will just tell them what that story is about.

Name any characters you created. side characters, protagonists, antagonists, characters who’ve never been written, the first original abomination you ever pulled from your ass; whomever you’d like!

I was just categorizing them for fun so take your pick:

Who’s the most unhinged?

Quite a few of them are, but it's not incorrect to say Myca and Madena.

Who comes the most naturally for you to write?

None of them are particularly difficult to write. But I have the most fun with characters who can't or won't give a straight answer, for whatever reason.

Do you ever cringe at them?

Nope. Why would I?

How much control do you feel you have over your characters? do they ever “write themselves,” refuse to cooperate, or do things you didn’t expect? to what degree? are some less cooperative than others?

I approach things from a psychology and sociology based process. I try to allow the characters to have room to breathe and exist as part of their settings, so I can figure out what they are most likely to do. I might joke about them "writing themselves" but it's only because I'm trying to follow what the most likely path is for them to take. In general, no, I'm still in charge and I'm still making the decisions.

Do you enjoy people asking questions about your characters? and do you have a preferred means of receiving said questions? for example, as asks, as replies, as reblogs, as tag notes, as comments on ao3, etc.

Of course, I love talking about my characters! Any way is acceptable.

What makes you want to follow another writeblr account? do you follow ‘em as you see ‘em, or take time scoping out the blog to make sure you align with its content? do you follow based on wips, or vibes?

I mostly just follow my friends and people who interact with me a lot. I don't follow very many people actually, only 37. It's generally people I know in real life, people online I've known or been mutuals with for a long time, some artists whose art I like, and then some writers that I talk to or somewhat frequently interact with.

What makes you decide against following?

I mean I won't follow you if you post a lot a shit I don't agree with. But also I have physical limitations so if you post a lot, I probably won't follow you, or might stop following you just because it's too difficult for me to keep up with my friends through a slog of posts. I also can get annoyed at people who constantly reblog their own stuff – nothing wrong with reblogging things and promoting yourself but there are limits. That sort of fits back into the above though it's just if there's too many posts that are getting in the way, I will stop following you.

Do you interact with non-mutuals often?

I'll talk with anybody, and I tend to respond to comments that people leave me whether they're my mutual are not! I mean maybe not if it's something generic like "nice" or whatever, but if somebody says something to me then I will probably respond to it.

Do your mutuals’ characters occupy space in your noodle?

To be honest I mostly have brain space for the characters of my IRL friends and also one or two people that I've known for over a decade. But I guess I am technically mutuals with all of those people so…yes?

Tagging: @did-i-do-this-write @outpost51 @thegoddesswater @unclear-contributions and anyone else who wants to :>

#writeblr #writing #thanks!!#tag games #actually I have over 500 characters #but we don't need to go there lol

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afr0-thunder · 1 year ago

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[Poor Chronicles Pt. 23]

*STARBUCKS EDITION*

I was working with the assistant coach who says, “Nigga!”. It must have been judgment day or something. We worked very closely yesterday and he was playing music. He asked if I had any requests. I said, “I had one yesterday (off day), but I can’t remember, I’ll let you know if I do.”. He also asked what kind of music do (I) like. I just said, “Rap and Pop, mostly.”. He said he “doesn’t really like pop, just mostly R&B.” and “female rap.”. I was thinking, “Well you should, as many times as I almost catch you saying ‘Nigga’…”. The day was today, I thought like 6 times, “Did he say Nigga or was it just the song (and him)?”. He was right next to me during “Ice Spice - Munch”. She raps so fast on it, I was just like, “He won’t say it…but he might.”…and before you know it, “That _____ a munch, nigga a eater…”. He just stopped, covered his mouth and said “Oop!” and looked at me. I looked away. Job was in my hands.

Anyways, I didn’t remember the song, but I requested Megan Thee Stallion “Big Ole Freak” and ZAYN & Taylor Swift “I Don’t Wanna Live Forever” to level out the pussy popping party we were having.

I had two dreams last night. One where I worked with these two rappers from the West Side at this fried chicken restaurant, who ironically, I saw making a music video on my way to work last year. The other with one of my newer female coworkers. She was supposed to be giving me a ride home and they took me to her apartment. She’s cute, but she keeps smiling at me at work. Bitch, if you want this dick, stop subtly letting everyone know we want to fuck. I have to maintain my reputation as obviously straight, but potentially homosexual. I don’t like pussy at work.

I took a long walk before work and after I arrived (early). Explored even further west (or is it North/Northwest?). I stumbled upon this Irish statue (sculpture?), The Galliene?. It appears I just was revisiting places I had already been. I’m taking another walk today.

I have decided to not go on a date or see anything in the downtown area. I was looking to purchase a movie ticket and thought, this will be fun, but I don’t spend money outside of the South Side, especially not outside of my old neighborhood. Also, what do I look like paying for pussy. Outrageous. I still have to acquire service for my cellular device at some point. Will update you all soon on my efforts.

I have revived chips in my diet. I still miss them everyday when we’re apart. Now, I will make some ramen noodles.

This is as short as I can see myself making a “Poor Chronicle” and it’s still very long. I may make edits tomorrow for updates on things I’ve already said, but that is it.

- MH (2023)

[10/21/2023 - 9:46AM - Typed]

[10/22/2023 - 12:27/28PM - Posted]

EDIT: I went for a walk in Gold Coast. It was nice, wish I could see more. I also walked to Oak Street Beach about 30 minutes before my shift. My African American manager asked me to get him a peanut butter milkshake and I said, “I may not have time.”…because of my walk time being unknown. The man didn’t know which one was peanut butter, I could tell by the look on his face, so I left. He started yelling at me about not bringing anything back. I said “ __________, I TOLD YOU I WAS GOING FOR A WALK!”. He still wanted a milkshake. I was like, “I don’t have time, my shift starts in 11 minutes! I clock in usually in about 4 minutes from now!”. He still asked. I went and told him I was going to whoop his ass in the alley after the shift for making me be 3 minutes late. I also said I would have his stomach pumped for the milkshake after my shift for not playing my song request (which he skipped, it got played after though) and making me (technically) 10 minutes late and missing like $1 or so in pay. They were out of chicken for my favorite chicken salad after the shift. This happened Tuesday night as well. Told my female coworker (who said “Nigga!”) that she was fired for this because she threw it out when we closed. It was my manager who refused to make it yesterday. He also, before we closed, asked if I was retarded (not verbatim) or if I ever “had like 8 kids in any of my classes”… I almost smacked the shit out of him, but just ended up saying, “No, I was the smartest kid in every single one of my classes.” and he went on to tell me who he thought was disabled at my job. I just laughed and started walking home.

I considered not fucking my female coworker’s life up because I said on one of my snapchat stories that I was no longer letting “racist niggers” suck my dick, then I said, “But why would I do that?” after I saw her titties and said “That would be so ridiculous.”. There’s also this other racist girl I remembered I went to college with (great titties as well), hate that bitch, so she needs to get her life fucked up too. Very religious, so why would she not want to get fucked by god? Exactly.

Anyway, onto acquiring service today…

#personal #poor chronicles #poor #poverty #life #lesson #life lesson #life lessons #guidance #struggle #chicago #2023 #LilMark #PUNKAssMark #afr0-thunder

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carolinemillerbooks · 1 year ago

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New Post has been published on Books by Caroline Miller

New Post has been published on https://www.booksbycarolinemiller.com/musings/the-art-of-self-destruction/

The Art Of Self Destruction

The two tall men pulled out chairs on either side of me as we sat at the lunch table. Former colleagues from my political days, Covid had severed our connection three years ago. Now we were reviving the contact. Happily, both men looked well though one admitted he was struggling with Diabetes. Diet is critical to controlling the disease, so I bit my tongue when he and his companion ordered hamburgers, fries, and colas. While we waited for the order, the man without diabetes broke into a story. “ My plumber for the last twenty years fixed my toilet the other day and announced he was a transgender woman.”The man who should have ordered a salad laughed. A lifelong Republican, he rolled his eyes toward the ceiling. “So he/she is giving up plumbing?” “No,” said our friend. “But I expect her to charge less.” Coffee spurted from my nose as I stifled a giggle. It’s wrong to laugh at others, but my vulgarian self wasn’t listening. Afterward, to clear my conscience, I shared what I’d learned about transgenders while writing a blog—that sex expresses itself throughout the body in several ways and that physical differences exist between homosexual and heterosexual brains. Science is challenging cultural norms I told my friends, and those who choose to fight change should heed the Darlek’s warning. “Resistance is futile” What we’ve yet to understand about ourselves is the disconnect between reason and human behavior. Being educated seems to count for nothing. Tucker Carlson and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas are intelligent men, yet both allow truth and hypocrisy to share the same bed. Carlson confides that he abhors Donald Trump yet is content to earn his supper by praising the man. Thomas dispenses justice to others never doubting his conduct is exempt. “We live in a time of social upheaval,” I assured my friends as I risked another swallow of coffee. What I didn’t add was that not all change was good. Holywood has crafted a more inclusive set of standards for the Oscars, for example, but Richard Dreyfus says they make him want to “vomit.” The aim may be laudable, but my spine also stiffened. Art and political correctness aren’t good traveling companions. In times of unreasoned savagery, art was obliged to offend. Intelligence, as Carlson and Thomas illustrate, lacks the power to overwhelm sentiments like greed and fear. Against these, we have but one defense–Emotional I. Q. It allows us to understand our feelings and use that understanding to interpret the responses of others. Unfortunately, history’s chaos suggests we’ve done little to develop that aspect of our brains. While technology and science propel us into brave new worlds, our emotions are those we’ve carried since the stone age. Greed and fear seem to dominate which leaves us ill-equipped to be guardians of the planet. Even so, we are moving forward with plans to adapt space as part of our infrastructure. An ambition like that gives new meaning to the Greek notion of hubris and raises a new question. How will we confront the life forms we encounter in space? Will we embrace them with wonder? Or will we treat differences as a reason to hate? Art has long been the vessel designed to hold revelation. Pablo Picasso exposes our inhumanity in Guernica. James Nachtwey’s war images beg us to feel shame. Yet the primitive brain knows how to defend itself. If truth is painful, we become blind to it. When our lunch visit is over, I rise to give a hug to my two friends. Peering over the shoulder of one with diabetes, I note he’s consumed his hamburger, fries, and cola. A line from Donna Tart’s The Goldfinch pops into my head. Sometimes we want what we want even if we know it’s going to kill us. Second cover teaser for the memloir, Gettling Lost tp Find Home

#brains of homo/heterosexuals #Clarence Thomas #Covid #Darleks #diabetes #diet for diabetes #Donald Trump #Donna Tart #Emotional I. Q #Guernica #Inclusive rules for the Oscars #James Nachtwey #Pablo Picasso #Richard Dreyfus #space as human infrastructure #The Goldfinch #transgenders #Tucker Carlson

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messyworldxx · 2 years ago

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Desiccated Echoes of Yesterday: A Reflective Essay by Nicole Aubrey Canarias

Bobby Griffith, a young man living in a small town in the United States in the early 1980s, is the subject of the film Prayers for Bobby. It's the beginning of the AIDS epidemic, and the belief in homosexuality is growing. In this story, I just wanted to express how grateful I am for his story, as tragic and sad as it is. The entire world is sharing and supporting it. And he appears to be a genuine, sympathetic guy, and after watching the movie, I feel so much sadness for other Bobby out there, Bobbies who have religious, ignorant parents and don't prioritize love. Not only did the film evoke strong emotions in me, but it also reminded me of some of my lovely gay friends. They are amazing, and they have given me a colorful light that has given me so many treasured moments.

(ctto)

As I reflect on the 5 stages of grief, I realized how messed up my life is. My Father died last April 2021 and my Grandfather died November this year; and I am still stuck in the 4 stages and never reached the last stage which is ACCEPTANCE. Let’s start with the first stage: DENIAL, in the movie, Bobby confessed to his mom about his gender preference and his mother is in denial and thought that Bobby can still change with the help of prayers and healing. The moment I heard the doctor mention the time of death of my Papa, I was in denial and thought it was just a dream. After his funeral, I just thought of him working in Korea while denying the fact that he died, and that went on for months. Every time I miss him and can’t process the thought of him lying down in a coffin, I run away from it and occupy myself with something else. I started working day and night, took care of my son in between, went out and had fun, depended on liquors and friends, and worst of all, I depended on someone whom I thought I could trust.

Second stage is ANGER. I remember Bobby and his mom had an argument which resulted in them not talking for quite a while, I can definitely relate to that. As I was starting to accept the fact that Papa died, I also stopped talking to people. I became so angry with the world and isolated myself from everyone. I went to Mindoro and walked away from everything. I did not reply to anyone, not even to my family and best of friends. I also questioned God for taking my Papa home very early, I still need him. Months passed and I became angry with myself too. I got angry that I wasn’t able to do my best as a daughter when he was still alive. I am angry that he was not even able to see me become successful. I was very mad that I forgot how to live, it felt like I was in a box trying to breathe just to say that I can, but not to live. I used to ask God, “how come it’s always me who goes through painful situations since I was a child? Are you mad at me? Please give me an answer.”

The feeling of anger eventually led to the third stage of grief which is BARGAINING, I started having my what ifs. I said “Lord, what if I devote my life to you and promise to do good deeds always. Will I wake up from this bad dream?” I also developed a thinking that If only I asked the doctors to revive my Papa, he would have been alive right now. This is one of the stages that I still cannot move on until now. Bobby used to say that if only he’s like everyone else, his mom would have been proud of him. I literally cried during those scenes of him bargaining. As I was trying to bargain, I became lost in a maze of what and only ifs. It caused me to find faults within myself and developed the feeling of guilt. At present, I am still bargaining with pain. I always negotiate with myself to get out of the feeling of hurt or pain of losing my anchor. When I pray, I say “ Lord, pakawalan niyo na ako rito. Parang awa niyo na po, ayoko na maramdaman itong sakit na ‘to.” I am willing to do anything to take away the pain and longing from losing my one and only ally, hero, anchor, and true love.

Bobby became depressed because of his situation and relationship with his family, specifically his mom. He tried to fight the feeling of loneliness, but he got tired of it and took his own life. As I continue my journey of accepting the fact that my Papa died, I am here stuck with the feeling of loneliness, and emptiness, that I continuously try to run away from. DEPRESSION affected my life in many ways. After Papa died, I was diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and Abandonment Issue; I know that no matter how hard I try, how many people I meet in a day, how fun my day went, it will never replace the feeling of void inside me. There will always be an empty space within myself. Every time I am at my best and even worst, I always cry. I miss having a parent, I miss having someone whom I could always rely on. I am a ship trying to stay afloat amidst the storm. I am continuously drowning while breathing, the water is taking over me which makes it harder to stay afloat. The peaceful thought of dying gives me peace and I am ready to die now. However, thinking about my son who needs me more than anyone, that thought keeps me afloat.

If there’s one thing that I am always praying for, it is the ability to ACCEPT that it will never be the same, that things will never go back to the way it is. I always pray to God and ask help from my Papa to be able to accept what happened. It's been almost 2 years and I still cannot accept the truth that he is gone. Whenever I feel like I am ready to accept things, the immediate response of my inner self is to think about what could have been, regrets, unanswered questions, and guilt. I don’t want to accept the fact that I am capable of living without my Papa. I feel guilty that I can laugh, have fun, and continue living a normal life without him around. As much as I wanted to accept everything, I am not yet ready to face the reality of not having a Papa in this lifetime. I know that it will take a long time for me to reach the ACCEPTANCE stage but I am certain that I will.

To my forever love,

Things were very hard and life was painful after you left but I am still here, fighting. I hope you’re happy and at peace with our Creator. Tatay died and I know that you are now together, telling stories to each other. I miss our ice cream, takoyaki, and ramen dates. I miss having you around, Papa. I miss your voice, laugh, and mini-drunk dances. Please help me accept the reality of you never coming back. Help me take away the longing, pain, and emptiness of losing you. I love you very much, Papa. Till we meet again in my dreams. You will always be the best person and I will always treasure all of your wisdom and our memories.

Your one and only princess,

Coli

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summaryi · 2 years ago

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A Court of Wings and Ruin - Sarah J. Maas (Book 3)

uwauwauwauawuawuawuawuawua

SPOILERS BELOW

in the moment, i very much was team FUCK IT UP, FEYRE, LET’S FUCKIN GGOOOOOOOOOOOOO

and now, the me who has finished the acotar series is like

was that shit like

maybe a lot

and like

short sighted as well

LIKE I UNDERSTAND

A LOT HAPPENED

but also like

it DID kinda wreck the Spring Court at a very precarious time for .... all of Prythian......

Like, yes. Tamlin hurt her. In an unforgivable way. His shit and inability to deal with it. He betrayed her AND Prythian? The continent? Is Hybern... Part of Prythian? Anyways. He betrayed the collective them to Hybern. His actions had unintended collateral consequences.

But like, damn.

Feyre really said power vacuum whomstdve????????? go off queen yaaaas

I HATE Ianthe. So glad Feyre has her moment on Summer Solstice.

i know it would be ~too convenient~ but i would have loved to see our Inner Court working with Lucien as heir apparent to the Autumn Court

like, yeah, there’s a lot of history and context that’s already been set around Lucien

but like

how nice would it have been

you know???????????

i truly loved the arc about the Ouroboros mirror. it warms me. very strong like. idk. it’s very satisfying to think about. and the bone carver. I CRIED FOR HIM????????? THIS MONSTER, ONE OF THE MOST FEARSOME BEINGS, A MOTHERFUCKER OF ALL FUCKERS DOING FUCKERY, I CRIED FOR HIM

i love that Ianthe meets the Weaver. love it.

FUCKING HURTS ME WHEN THE SURIEL DIES. HOW DARE YOU, SARAH. HOW COULD YOU. HE MIGHT BE SPOOKY AND ABLE TO KILL EFFORTLESSLY BUT HE’S JUST A LIL GUY. JUST A TINY LIL GUY. FUCK. HOW COULD YOU. MY HEART. HE’S SO TINY AND HE’S DEAD???????

my UNCONTROLLABLE GLEE WHEN MOR TELLS FEYRE SHE’S HOMOSEXUAL AND PANROMANTIC??????? GO OFF QUEEN

WE LOVE TALKING ABOUT THE SPECTRUM OF IDENTITY AND ATTRACTION

AND i love that we don’t just get a

BOOM here’s Lucien and Elain as mates uwu

we get to see it unfold - just because there IS a mating bond doesn’t mean that in this very progressive circle of Fae, wow it’s magic and sparkles

Elain and Azriel really really really really warms my heart AND I NEED TO SEE MORE

I NEED TO SEE MOOOOOOOOORE

The war? I really don’t know why I expected it to last for more of the book, but also kinda glad it didn’t. After all, this isn’t a war series. It’s a Faerie porn romance series (and there just so happens to be a war plot)

I’m not personally super fond of this Rhys-dies-and-immediately-comes-back-to-life business. It does give us a small moment of Tamlin redemption.

It just. idk. it hit different, and it hit bad.

turning FULLY DEAD Feyre into High Fae and thus saving her life and giving her immortality was a BIG FUCKING DEAL. it took ALL the High Lords, AND she’d just saved them from a lifetime of having 0 powers, and Amarantha. that whole thing. so like, if ANYONE had done some shit to save their WORLD, sure, human Feyre

aight, cool, so this is a BIG FUCKING DEAL. the payoff with Feyre MAKES SENSE. I FELT THE EMOTIONAL WEIGHT.

reviving Fae - questionable. never been tried. also, a BIG FUCKING DEAL. I get that Rhys also saved them by repairing the Cauldron, but like. idk. the threat of the UNIVERSE unraveling didn’t seem like that big a deal. is it just me? is it just me who didn’t sit with that long enough?

because also, like. the threat of the universe unraveling is yes, BIG, but what’s the impact of that vs the impact of Feyre-didnt-break-our-curse?

universe unravels - okay, everyone stops existing. it sucks, but also like doesn’t such because now nobody exists

Feyre didn’t break the curse - everyone still exists and their lives suck and they exist and life SUCKS

but also like. whatever. Rhys is alive. AND AMREN IS BACK. Very glad Maas does NOT put us through the emotional trauma of losing all our favorite characters

#A Court of Wings and Ruin #acowar #Sarah J. Maas #Maas

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bonnieura · 10 months ago

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honestly.... I dont really know it doesnt. really. look THAT promising like to me at least it just looks like a copy of the second season and i mean. I guess its expected since the trailer's so short and we havent seen anything of it yet? I dont know its weird.. i was never really an advocate for a season 3 anyway because i felt like. It was waayyyy too early? I dont know im still recovering from season 2 at least 😭😭 also I DONT WANT MORE COUPLES!!!!!!!! There are already so many in this show you might as well call the whole cast a polyamory relationship ((which is sick btw shout out to all my polyam folks)) like it just seems redundant at this point. You know what i want? I want an episode of Abraham Lincoln freeing the slaves. Or the Civil rights act of the 1960s how about that. Or about Egyptology. Or ancient France. <---- these were all just a mix of jokes and wishful thinking </33. Also just a prediction but i feel like we might see an RFK cameo this season (also not a prediction just wishful thinking <\33). But honestly i think they should because? if youre reviving the 35th president might as well clone his brother too?? the attorney general????? the senator????? presidential candidate???? the guy who also got shot???? robert f kennedy????????? come on this is just blaaatant favoritism on their end. Actually blatant favoritism from EVERYONE . as much as i (somewhat) understand all the focus and attention towards john f kennedy ((obviously since he was the fucking president of the us) and all the things he did and whatever ((which are honestly not that known to be fair ,, he didnt really live long enough in his presidency to ACTUALLY do anything even if its like 2.5 years. the things he did werent that known or they didnt have TTTHAT strong of an impact IN THE MOMENT that his assassination overshined everything. which id understand too because, believe it or not you may as well call JFK's assassination a black swan event-- because i am a firm believer that JFK one way or another had a cultural and social effect on the USA . in fact you might as well call president kennedy the first '''pop''''' president )) but honestly i just wished people also were. willing to learn about the rest of the kennedys. because they did great things too! and you can very well study the '''kennedy curse'' too i find that super interesting. they were all interesting men and women who are fun to morally analyze (but can never TRULY analyze because we werent there and the vast majority of us arent psychologists , and even if we were its not really. clear. even in video. their personality traits can be glorified or villainized ,we will never TRULY know because its word of mouth and in the grand scheme of things these people are Strangers to us. Thats why i (personally) dont like theorizing on like jfk's sexuality or some shit like that because it doesnt matter to me!!! i dont know this man and im not even AMERICAN for gods sake . so why should it matter . like if its shits and giggles sure i dont give two flying fucks but if we are actually getting heated its like Ummm.. its reallynot that serious? like queer history sure. first gay president or sometjing. of course forgetting JAMES BUCHANAN? but tbf a lot of people think he just didnt like his wife. Whatever hes the closest thing we can get to a fully homosexual president. Like other than that neat piece of trivia what does it matter to you!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So like i just wish people didnt focus so much on john f. kennedy and maybe focused kn other ghings idk go drink water or go outside you have a bright future ahead of you son . (hypocrite speaking)

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CLONE HIGH S3 TRAILER 😭 what do we think yall???

#Jesus fucking christ i went so off the rails what the hell #clone high #jfk

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translations-by-aiimee · 3 years ago

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Mistakenly Saving the Villain - Chapter 1

Original Title: 论救错反派的下场

Genres: Drama, Romance, Xianxia, Yaoi

TW for this chapter: Mentions of suicide

I wanted to provide some ~variety~ so I'm doing another novel. I'll give a warning that the first few chapters are kind of intense and I'll keep the TWs updated as they come and put a TL;DR at the end if there's anything too graphic.

This translation is based on multiple MTLs and my own limited knowledge of Chinese characters. If I have made any egregious mistakes, please let me know.

Chapter 1 - The Beauty in Red

Song Qingshi is dead.

After his death, he came to in a strange space, and in the space, there was a sphere randomly flashing red.

The sphere said that he is a book-transmigrating system from a high-dimensional world. There was a xiania novel called "The Exceptional Furnace", which was about to be plagued by readers' resentment due to the tragic fate of the protagonist, causing problems in that world. It needed to find someone who is familiar with the tropes of these novels and someone with the power to change and repair the body and mind of the protagonist, and fulfill the readers' wishes - change the fate of the protagonist, dote on him, and let him live the happiest and most fulfilling life □□ □□□□□

The information in the system came intermittently, and in the □□ there were incomprehensible, alien-like characters.

Song Qingshi suffered from Lou Gehrig's Disease during his lifetime and devoted himself to studying medicine to try and save himself. He was a medical student who studied and experimented frantically every day and never wasted time reading novels.

In terms of emotions, he is even more obtuse. Although he is very handsome and has an attractive and obedient personality, due to his physical problems, even the school bully treated him like a precious thing. With all the excessive loving care and sympathy, not only did he never have a crush, but he also suffered from a slight fear of talking to strangers.

This was the worst soul for this task.

Song Qingshi didn't know how he was picked up by the system. He had read Marxist philosophy novels in vain. But from his messy information and analysis from the system's explanation, as long as he accepts the task, the system will send him to the virtual book world, give him a healthy body, and he will come back to life.

After Song Qingshi realized this, he was ecstatic. A healthy body is was his biggest desire. Not to mention the fact that the system only asked that he take care of someone. Even if the system had asked him to swim through seas of fire, he would have accepted still.

Because of this, he ignored his conscience, structured his response, and lied for the first time in his life: "I have read tens of thousands of books that I have memorized. I have extensive medical and nursing knowledge, have taken a psychology course as an elective, and I could solve all the physical and mental sufferings of the protagonist. And love. . . I have lots of experience with love, I know how to communicate, absolutely, I. . . can definitely accomplish these tasks!"

If there was any blood that could exist in a soul, he would definitely be flushed.

The system didn't notice his lies. It registered the identity of the task performer, and sent a series of garbled commands, mixed with all kinds of chaotic and disorderly information into Song Qingshi's mind, sending waves of discomfort through his soul.

Suddenly, the system let out a sharp alarm and the data transmission was cut off. Song Qingshi's vision went black, and his soul drifted away towards a bright white light. . .

. . .

When Song Qingshi woke up, he found himself lying in the woods, surrounded by the faint fragrance of various herbs. He squinted his eyes and looked towards the dazzling blue sky. There was a gorgeous golden luan bird dragging its long tail feathers, letting out a loud caw as it flew past, with countless immortal birds following it.

Was this the world from the novel?

It seemed too real. . .

A soft breeze blew across the forest, shaking off the dew on the trees. The dew fell onto his pale fingertips, bringing a slightly cool feeling. Then, all the memories of the original body flooded into his mind like a tidal wave, trying to merge with his own soul - this body was also called Song Qingshi, the master of the Medicine King's Valley, and the most talented medical immortal and pharmaceutical expert in the immortal world. His medical skills could heal the dead and revive bones, and the spirit pills he cultivates were considered treasures by every cultivator.

However, the original body's temperament was extremely troubling. He rarely left Medicine King's Valley at all, never made friends, and had no interest in matters other than medicine and alchemy. When a patient sought him out, he only looks at their temperament and never asked their identity. When he was in a good mood, he treated mortal beggars. When he was in a bad mood, regardless of the identity of the visitor, he would turn them into flower fertilizer for his garden. He often used living people to test medicines. Cruel, but because of his Nascent Soul cultivation base and various skills with poisons, the immortal sects didn't dare provoke him easily, only secretly calling him troubling behind his back.

Cultivators in the immortal world had long life spans, and the knowledge and memory of this original body had for its hundreds of years of cultivation had not arrived yet. Various data fragments of the system rushed in frantically, with countless garbled codes, tearing the original body's memory into a mess, leaving Song Qingshi at a loss. It took a long time before he managed to figure out his current situation.

This was Golden Phoenix Mountain Manor, the most luxurious place in the immortal world, where there are rare and exotic animals and countless immortals and beautiful concubines.

The owner, Jin FeiRen, was also a great Nascent cultivator. He was a true romantic, an excessive spender, and had friends from both the immortal and demonic cultivation world. He was a well-known figure.

The original body had always been cold, obsessed with his work, and never touched either men and women. Today's arrival was accidental. The Manor Lord Jin wanted to give him Ten Thousand Year Snow Ginseng to exchange a batch of medicinal pills for him. The original body had recently been lacking Snow Ginseng to make his medicines, so he agreed to the deal.

Since Snow Ginseng grows in the secret realm of the snow mountains of the Jin family. If you wanted to get the ones with the best medicinal properties, you needed to pick them at night and preserve it with a special refining method. Therefore, the original body came here to pick it personally, and Song Qingshi somehow ended up here.

Then, Song Qingshi was sent here by the system. . .

Where was the protagonist? What does he look like?

Song Qingshi wanted to ask the system to ask for more information, but the system seemed to disappear. The materials it sent not only contained no plot points from the novel, but also very little character information. There were garbled characters everywhere, even though the protagonist hadn't been introduced yet. Song Qingshi got dizzy going through all this information before he found some descriptions in the copywriting introduction: the best physique, unmatched beauty shou X□□□□□ gong, procured by trickery, sadomasochistic, □□, □□, □□ There were only three texts that could be read clearly: Banquet of Bea□□□.

. . .

If this were someone who often read these types of novels, they would immediately recognize that this situation was problematic.

Song Qingshi, however, didn't recognize any of this as problematic. He believed that this was a test given by the system to assess his reasoning skills and ability to do things. Song Qingshi was very accustomed to being assessed like this. Usually, when he and his teacher started developing a new drug, he often didn't have any prior results in his hand. It required some experimentation and to experience many errors and difficulties in order to reach the final result. Most of the time, that result was not what they were hoping for.

Many pharmaceutical companies invest billions or even tens of billions in drug research. Scholars have spent decades trying, right until their hair turned grey, only to fail during their clinical trials.

Therefore, every drug researcher is a strong man who has experienced many battles, repeated defeats and never-ending setbacks.

These questions from Teacher System were not difficult!

Scholar-Tryant Song expressed no fear! He will definitely find the correct answer and live up to the teacher's expectations of him!

Song Qingshi thought about the information he was given, determined the goal of the protagonist, and then quickly understood the key points of the novel: the protagonist will appear at the Banquet of Beauties, it will be a male, homosexual, unmatched beauty, superb body; a pitiful character with a tragic fate. He needs to save the protagonist, give him the greatest care, heal his physical and mental health, and then help him find happiness and joy!

During Song Qingshi's time, respect for sexual orientation was written into the law, and same-sex couples could get married.

He once found a novel lost by a rotten girl classmate, titled "His Evil Majesty's Spoiled Husband". On the cover was a handsome and domineering man in a period costume holding a beautiful woman with long hair with a super flat chest. He didn't understand it, and returned the book. When he asked curiously, his classmates told him what Danmei was, and told him that the beauty on the cover was actually male. The beautiful male was the "shou", and the domineering one was the "gong". So Song Qingshi is confident that he would easily distinguish between the gong and the shou in the novel. He would never mistake the gong as the protagonist.

He had thought it through and the direction of problem-solving has been determined. All that was left was to wait for the Banquet of Beauties to start the exam.

Song Qingshi's spiritual sea gradually became clear. The soul and body were merged and became flexible. He sat up with his hands cautiously, took off his shoes, raised his feet, and tried to stretch the toes that had been stiff for many years. The white and round toes curled happily. Song Qingshi stood up shakily, briefly walking forward a few steps with hands and feet before finally remembered the walking posture of a normal person, and his movements gradually changed from jerky to steady. . .

Under his feet was soft green grass and moist soil.

Outside the forest was a calm river. Song Qingshi stepped into the water and took a handful of cold river water to wash his face, confirming that he was not in a dream.

Tears fell out of extreme joy, and the big tears fell onto his palms. His hands couldn't stop no matter how much he tried. The river calmed down from the slight disturbance, and the reflection of the boy's figure appeared.

Song Qingshi was surprised to find that the body given to him by the system was very similar to his high school appearance; he was not very tall and significantly thinner. He wore a Daoist cultivator outfit made of many layers of snow-coloured cloud brocade, wrapped tightly around his body. At first glance, all the layers of clothing gave the illusion of a frail man.

His thin hair was simply tied up with some loose hair dangling freely. His appearance may be related to immortal cultivation. He is a bit more refined than his original body, with a cold, pale complexion and clear eyes. Because he often blocks out the world and focuses on his study, he feels a bit dull and extremely gullible, leading many unlucky ghosts to think that the original was harmless and would become the fertilizer or poison tester.

. . .

After Song Qingshi vented his emotions and saw the red-rimmed eyes in the reflection, he was a little embarrassed. He hurriedly lowered his head and fetched water, trying to wash away the tears on his face, but behind him came the sound of fine bells and ridicule.

"It's useless to commit suicide. It will only cause you needless pain. If you are still not reconciled, you can try and sink slowly to see if you can succeed."

Surprised, Song Qingshi turned around and saw the most beautiful thing he'd seen in his life.

There were trees full of peach blossoms, and under the tree was a beautiful young boy in red. Who knows how long he was watching Song Qingshi stupidly crying. The young man's appearance was blooming, like a scroll of rich colours and ink, painted with all the romantic colours of the world. The warm jade-like skin, the most beautiful thing about him were the dark golden phoenix eyes under the crow-feather-like eyelashes. He resembled a noble and dignified phoenix in the sky, but there was an extremely gorgeous red tear-shared mole under the corner of his left eye, desecrating his nobleness. The dignity of his appearance was crushed, and the phoenix rejoined the mortal world, turning into a creature stained with flattery and seductiveness which made people feel unbearable tempted.

His long hair was untied and hung casually around his waist. The ends of his hair were slightly curled, his feet were bare, and he was only wearing a red dress made of shark silk. The shark silk was as smooth as water, clinging to his body, covering all the desirables underneath.

Song Qingshi did not think anything blasphemous, but because he was caught crying, his social anxiety became more intense. After a long pause of building courage, he stumbled and said: "I, I just..."

His hesitation became reluctant approval in the eyes of the beauty in red.

There are dangerous monsters and birds everywhere in the immortal world. Cultivators were equipped with spiritual auras and keen senses, and can easily detect the wind and grass around them. Even the minor cultivators in the time they were establishing their cultivation base would not miss the sound of mortal footsteps with bells, let alone the Nascent Soul cultivators. If they release their spiritual thoughts, the smallest creatures on the mountain would not escape their attention. Except for Song Qingshi, a newly-born soul who had just arrived in this world, and was still very unused to spiritual power and these world conditions. . .

The beauty in red had completely misunderstood, thinking that Song Qingshi was also a mortal. There was only one use for such a beautiful mortal in Golden Phoenix Manor. He clarified: "A new slave?"

Song Qingshi looked up in amazement. He wanted to ask questions, but his eyes fell on the beauty of the red dress. There seemed to be some strange bruises on his neck as if it had been bitten by a mosquito, but it seemed that it might be something else. He took a few more secretive glances, trying to determine what they were.

The beauty in red noticed his curious glances and his heart grew upset. With growing malicious intent, a very gentle smile appeared on his face, and he said in a sincerely blessed tone: "Don't stare, you will have them soon, too."

Song Qingshi was very sheltered before transmigrating. He had never encountered malice and did not understand the mystery behind these words. Although he thought this blessing was a bit strange, he still answered politely: "Thank you."

The beauty in red choked hearing this answer. He was stunned for a moment. He looked at Song Qingshi up and down like a fool, and found that the person in front of him was clean and his skin was free of any injuries. He had never experienced the ravages of hell in his eyes. He was pure.

This discovery made him feel pity for the heart that had been tempered by suffering. He retracted his sharp malice and said softly, "After tonight, you will know that death is a luxury." He turned slightly to his side, looking at the river's flow. He warned, "When I first came here, I tried to commit suicide many times, but it was useless. We are slaves who are branded with the Acacia Seal. Our spirits belong to our master. So long as the master doesn't allow it, we cannot die, even by our own hands. . .

The beauty in red was silent for a long time. He slowly stretched out his hand and stroked Song Qing's hair that was soft as the fur of a small animal.

Song Qingshi saw several red rope marks on his pale wrists. He realized that this was pain that the beauty wouldn't want to be questioned about, so he pushed down his curiosity.

The fingertips of the red-dressed beauty slipped from his hair to Song Qingshi's delicate face, watching his innocent expression. He held his hand there for a moment before putting it down, conflicted. He didn't want to say any more. Since he didn't know those nightmarish experiences, it was useless to say anything more. Being able to preserve this kind of innocence, it was one more moment of happiness for him. Finally, he sighed, "You look good, but unfortunately the more your looks improve as you grow, the longer it will be until you're freed. . ."

Song Qingshi was puzzled: "What do you mean by 'freed'?"

"You'll know soon." The beauty in red's expression suddenly relaxed. He glanced around carefully, then stretched out his index finger and tapped his lips lightly. With a voice so light that he could barely hear it, he said ambiguously, "Tonight I will be freed. . ."

The beauty in red turned around with a smile and, with a crisp ring of the bells, turned to leave. His steps were a bit unstable, and each step was strenuous, like a mermaid walking on the tip of a knife in pain.

A pair of exquisite gold shackles were exposed on the beauty's ankles under the red clothes. Each of the shackles was decorated with an exquisite bell. The middle was connected by a slender golden chain. When walking, the bell shook slightly and made a clear and sweet sound, just like a tethered bird.

The golden chain dragged across the grass, and a few drops of blood dropped onto the green leaves.

Song Qingshi mustered up the courage to overcome his social anxiety, and shouted to the beauty who was about to leave: "Are you. . .injured? I, I know medical skills. . . Do you need me to treat you?"

The beauty in red turned back, looked at him for a few seconds, and he couldn't help but smile. This time the smile finally reached his eyes, like a ray of golden sunlight breaking through the clouds, dazzlingly beautiful. He shook his head towards Song Qingshi, and gave himself a sincere blessing: "I hope you have better luck tonight."

He turned his head, and the sunlight in his eyes disappeared in a flash, as if it had never existed, only the dark clouds that would not retreat.

Having endured these nightmares for years, he has long learned not to remember the kindness of others, and not to care about being offered charity from others.

He walked alone in this prison without stopping, step after step, wearing those painful shackles.

#mistakenly saving the villain #chinese bl #english translation #论救错反派的下场 #song qingshi #chinese novel #mistakenly saving the villain translation

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